LoveMe Tender
by Concetta
Summary: Ren and Kyoko are starring in the same film. Great! The snag? They have a love scene. The conflicted Ren needs advice from a certain chicken along the way. *NEW EPILOGUE*
1. Dr Bo

Mogami Kyoko, donned in her "Bo" habit, waddled into the backlot

A/N: I know this scenario has been done before, but I couldn't resist. This first chapter evolved from a one-shot idea of mine.

Mogami Kyoko, donned in her "Bo" habit, waddled into the backlot.

Her many recent, "no good's" in shooting the drama, "Box R" had been getting to her, not to mention her immature co-stars who pointedly avoided her and gossiped about her when she was in ear-shot.

Kyoko was disconsolately shuffling toward the dressing rooms to change out of her costume, when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar tall, dark and handsome figure sitting on a crate nearby.

"Tsuruga Ren!" She involuntarily squeaked.

The man looked up and a small smile of relief appeared on his lips.

What was wrong with him? Every time he came to see "Bo", he was troubled by something. Did it have to do with the high school girl he mentioned once? The one he had a crush on? As much as she wanted to help him, she hoped his problem would not take long to explain, she had to be at the introduction meeting for the movie she accepted a role in, now that "Dark Moon" was in post-production.

"Ah, Bo! Good to see you again."

Kyoko bowed. "Good to see you, too, Tsuruga Ren. Got some more troubles you would like to talk about?"

Ren shifted his weight, and looked sheepishly at her. "Well . . . yes . . ."

"I'm playing a cold-blooded killer in a movie that will start filming tomorrow—"

"I see, I see!" "Bo" interrupted, with a sage stroking of the chin. "You do not know how to play a cold-blooded killer."

" . . . No . . . that's not the hard part . . ."

Kyoko was taken aback. Tsuruga Ren, voted the sexist man in Japan, could play a cold-hearted killer without a hitch, but not a love-sick man, as was the situation in Dark Moon? He was truly a confusing person. But, then again, Kyoko had been on the receiving end of two of his death glares . . . maybe he _could_ pull off the heartless killer thing.

"So . . . what's the problem?"

"The character comes to a turning point when he falls in love with an undercover cop."

"Ah . . . so it's the love thing again. But, you mastered that."

Ren looked at her with a question on his face. "How . . . ?"

"I . . . I watched the drama . . ."

"Ah."

"So, what's wrong?"

"I turns out my co-star is the—"

"Bo!"

Kyoko whirled around to see one of the stage-hands waving at her.

"What are you still doing in costume? Go change!"

"Ah! Yes!" Kyoko hurriedly bowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tsuruga, but I have to go. Perhaps we can talk some more next time."

Ren rose and offered her a gracious smile. "Of course." Then slowly walked away.

Kyoko scurried off, wondering who he had been about to name before he was interrupted. Kyoko was halfway out of her Bo costume when she suddenly remembered the description role she had been given:

_Nakamura Yoshiki: Policewoman for the Tokyo PD, currently undercover and on the trail of B.J., a suspect in the murder of an oil tycoon._

Kyoko lost her balance.


	2. Read Through, Take One

A/N: I've never written a Skip Beat fic before and surprisingly, I'm having the most trouble with Kyoko's character. She's very polite, but is really open with her emotions at the same time. Yeah, and in an answer to a review, no the B.J. script, in the manga, as far as I know, does not involve Kyoko. I just made that up.

"SCCCRRRREEEEEEEEEEECH!" Went the tires of Kyoko's longsuffering bike as she came to a halt outside of the agency.

Kyoko burst into the conference room and landed in the first empty chair she saw.

"Breathe, Miss Mogami, you're just in time."

Kyoko melted into a literal puddle of relief.

"Eh . . . Miss Mogami . . . Um . . . Pull yourself together . . ."

Kyoko snapped back to normal.

"YES!"

Ren softly chucked at her enthusiasm. If Kyoko had looked at him at that moment she might have seen the spark of affection quietly hiding in his eyes.

The read-through went smoothly. When Ren read his lines, chills of fear trickled down Kyoko's spine. Ren was so amazing! He made her believe for a moment that it was B.J. sitting beside her. There was a sinister calm to his voice as he read the lines. Kyoko shivered again.

" . . . Mogami? . . . Miss Mogami?"

Kyoko's head snapped up from the script, which she hadn't really been looking at. "Huh?"

The man playing the police chief was looking at her expectantly.

"It's your line."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Yes! Yes." _Where are we?_

Kyoko began to fumble through her script. Her heart plummeted and her face burned as low murmurs of disapproval began to sweep around the table.

Suddenly, Kyoko was aware of Ren's large hand gently pushing hers from the pages of her script.

"Allow me, Miss Mogami." Ren deftly flipped the pages and pointed to her lines.

All murmuring came to a dead halt. Ren mentally smirked.

"Th-thank you very much, Mr. Tsuruga."

"My pleasure, Miss Mogami," answered Ren with his most gentlemanly smile. He heard a few collective sighs from the women and even some of the men in the room. Kyoko breathed a sigh, too, but of relief. It wasn't the smile of DOOM.

Kyoko cleared her throat and tried to visualize her role as best she could as she read.

Things were going along swimmingly now. Kyoko liked her part. The cop wasn't a princess or even a high born lady, but she very serious and dedicated. She could play that . . . and she did some butt-kicking, which Kyoko was kind of excited about.

Yes! Everything was fine until they came to the part that Kyoko had almost forgotten about. Her character seduces B.J. in order to get a confession about him. She didn't know how to be sexy, much less speak in a sexy voice . . . and to Mr. Tsuruga!

But, right as she took in a breath to begin the lines for the scene, the director spoke up.

"Okay. That's enough for today. We'll pick up from here on Wednesday."

Kyoko let out the breath she had been holding. _Safe . . . for two days . . . That will give me plenty of time to prepare! _

Ren mentally sighed with relief. _Safe for two days . . ._


	3. Dr Kotonami

A/N: Hey, everybody! Sorry this is late coming in. I've been busy, busy, busy.

Moko's in this chapter and I can't remember exactly how she addresses Kyoko. Does she call her "Kyoko-san, chan" or "Mogami?" And does Kyoko call her "Moko-chan" or just "Moko?" I took a guess in this chapter.

Kyoko was hastily chopping some _daikon _radish for the _oden _she was preparing at the Darumaya. But, her mind was elsewhere. The cause of her absent-mindedness was not the "I-don't-know-how-to-act-seductive" dilemma, though. It was actually something pleasant.

Moko was coming over!

Not only that, she was going to spend the night!

"My first sleepover!" Kyoko squealed with delight.

Another step towards being like a normal high school student!

She could not wait for her best friend to arrive. Her mind whirled with different plans for the evening.

_What are we going to do first?_ She eyed the gigantic pile of snacks sitting still in the convenience store bags, on the table. _Perhaps I went overboard?_

Kyoko shook her head and went over the plan again.

6:00-7:00: Dinner.

8:00: Sit around the _kotatsu_ and watch television.

8:30: Pillow fight.

9:00: Girl talk.

10:00: More girl talk.

11:00: Even more girl talk!

12:00: Sleep.

_I hope she'll have fun! . . . And maybe, perhaps, she can help me._

Kyoko remembered the time when she saw Moko at her side jobs. She was hired by one guy to pretend to be his girl friend. It wasn't a seductive performance, but it was flirtatious . . . close enough . . .

As Kyoko was observing the pot, coming to a simmer, in the middle of the table, she heard the owner's wife call her name.

"Your friend is here."

Sparkles, bubbles, and flowers seemed to surround Kyoko as she practically did a Chassé towards the entryway.

"MOKOOOOO!"

Moko tensed as she saw the bubbly figure leaping towards her.

_Oh, my God_. As much as she liked Kyoko, she herself was never good at taking this much affection.

"WELCOME!"

Moko couldn't help but smile at the unmitigated, sparkly, joy in her friend's eyes.

"Thanks for inviting me."

Kyoko suddenly remembered herself. She made a few small bows as she ushered her friend to come in.

As Kyoko finished setting up a few more things for the oden, the owner's wife exchanged pleasantries with Moko. The landlord joined them a little while after, taking a brief break from manning the shop up front.

Dinner went well, albeit a bit awkwardly, since all the things she wanted to talk about, she couldn't in front of the her landlord and lady. So, most of oden was consumed in silence with scattered conversation.

At eight o' clock they watched a music program on NHK. Kyoko brought out one of her many snacks, _shichimi_ flavored _agemochi_, and served some to Moko.

They talked about this and that and Kyoko forgot about the pillow fight she had scheduled.

Finally, as they were settling down on their futons, Kyoko breached the topic that had been burning in the back of her mind the entire time.

Moko listened attentively as Kyoko gave her the run-down on everything. When she was done she looked up to see Moko's reaction.

"Ah, Moko! Don't laugh!"

"Sorry, Mogami . . . It's just funny, picturing you trying to act seductive, you can't even act flirtatious, can you?"

Kyoko began to sink into literal depths of despair. "No . . ."

"Ah!" Moko cried out, "It's just another learning experience!" _It freaks me out when she does that . . . Why am I friends with this nutjob, again?_

Kyoko perked up a bit and gave her a bright smile.

_Ah, now I remember._

Kyoko was that amazing sort of person that, as annoying as she might find her, she couldn't help but like her.

"So, you want me to help you?"

"Please, Moko! You're such a great actress, I figured you'd know exactly what to do!"

"Yes, I know." Moko said, giving her hair a conceited flip. "I can help you."

Kyoko paused for a moment, processing Moko's assent then . . .

"THANK YOU, SO MUCH, MOKO!"

"I know, I know, you're welcome, just get off me!"

A/N:

Daikon: en./wiki/Daikon

Oden: en./wiki/Oden

Kotatsu: en./wiki/Kotatsu

Agemochi: en./wiki/Agemochi


	4. I Hadn't Thought of That

A/N: Sorry this was so long in coming. I was in the midst of my final finals! But those are all over and I'm now a college graduate! Hooray! So, now, at least until I get a job, I am free to write this fanfic!

I'm going to use the Japanese honorifics now, instead of our "miss" and "mister". It just feels more like Ren and Kyoko's voice when they use the Japanese honorifics.

It's also my birthday today! Twenty-three years old! Yay!

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Ren put a firm hand on his leg to keep it from bouncing nervously.

_Calm down. _

Today was the day. Kyoko and he would read through their first love scene. Well, what little dialogue there was in that scene . . .

He felt the apprehension rising in his throat.

_Tsuruga Ren, Stop! If you can't make it through a read-through, how are you going to handle the actual run-through?_

Ren took a deep breath.

This was just another challenge of his acting career.

_. . . And I am going to meet it!_

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Kyoko arrived right on time. She sat down next to Ren.

"Good morning, Mogami-san," Ren said, not really looking at her, trying even harder than usual to act casual towards his kohai. When she didn't immediately respond Ren finally took a good look at Kyoko.

Kyoko was looking back at him, her face . . . so close to his . . . her mouth spread into a slow, warm smile. Her gaze was heavy lidded.

"Good morning, Tsuruga-san," she purred.

Ren gulped. She spoke with a deep, sultry tone. He realized from the first that she was acting. He knew that, in her own way, she was showing off to the sempai she so respected, what she had learned.

_Brava, Kyoko_.

"How was that? My friend, Moko, helped me!"

"That was very good! I know you haven't dealt with a role like this before and I commend you for rising to the challenge."

Kyoko glowed under Ren's praise.

"Thank you, sempai."

Her bright familiar smile was more devastating to his heart than any flirtatious look.

The read-through went smoothly. Even though it was just a read-through, Ren read his part well, as did Kyoko. The two were so into their characters and into looking down at their scripts, that both were able to forget to whom they were delivering these seductive lines. Read-through for that scene didn't last long. But, therein lay the problem.

They would be doing very little talking in that scene . . .

"_I need to see you again_ . . ." read Ren.

"_Of course . . . where would you like to meet_?"

"_At the pavilion in the Koishikawa-Korakuen gardens. Midnight_."

"_There? I'm surprised. I thought you would want to meet at your place or something . . ._"

"_The gardens are my place . . . and that pavilion was my favorite spot in the garden. I used to go with my father . . . before he was murdered . . . I want to show it to you._"

"_. . . I'd love to see it._"

# # # # # # # # # # # # # #

As much wonderful work Kyoko received, she still got the usual "LoveMe" job. Right now she was mopping a corridor outside of some of the LME mainstay's dressing rooms. Someone had dropped a whole liter of Coca-Cola, which exploded on impact, leaving the entire hallway a sticky mess. Sometimes the mop wasn't enough and she had to get down on her hands and knees with a rag to pull up the residue.

Kyoko sat up with a sigh of satisfaction once she conquered another stain. She looked up at the rest of the mess she still had to clean and gave another sigh of an entirely different kind. Our heroine pushed up the hot pink sleeves of her uniform.

"Yosh! You can do it, Kyoko!"

It was such work that kept Kyoko humble . . . and she was grateful for it.

Ren's gulp—yes she did see it—when she gave him a taste of what she had learned, surprised her. Did she make him nervous? She had looked into his eyes, usually so calm, and for a split second thought she saw a flicker of the "Emperor of the Night."

A shiver coursed down Kyoko's back.

"Mogami-san?"

"ACK!" Kyoko jumped and slipped on the wet tile.

"Mogami-san, are you alright?"

Kyoko looked up to see Ren's dark figure towering over her, hand outstretched. Hesitatingly she took it. Sparks seemed to shoot up her arm as he helped her to her feet.

"From your bright attire and cleaning supplies, I'm guessing that you are in the middle of another "LoveMe" assignment."

"Yes."

"Mogami-san . . . I know I sort of asked you this before but . . ." Ren stopped to clear his throat. "Excuse me!" Ren stepped back into his dressing room and closed the door.

"Eh?" Kyoko stared helplessly at the door. "What?"

Ren was leaning on the other side of it, His face aflame. Once he regained control of himself he opened the door.

"I'm so sorry, Mogami-san! I thought I heard my cell phone go off."

"Oh! No, no, that's okay! I wouldn't want you to miss any important calls!"

"I wanted to ask you if you had ever been kissed before."

Kyoko froze, recalling her first meeting with the "Emperor of the Night."

_"Do you have experience in kissing?"_

_"N-n-n-n-n-no . . .w-why?"_

"No."

"You do realize why we have so few lines together in that one scene, don't you?"

Kyoko stood, blinking up at him . . . and then . . .

"AH!"

_Just as I feared . . . She hadn't thought about it . . ._


	5. Comfort Zone

A/N: Sorry this was a while getting out there. Good thing is, once I sat down to write it just came pouring out. Whee! There's probably going to be a lot of errors in the following because it's 4:58 am. I'll fix them later. I just really wanted to get this out there ASAP. Enjoy!

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Ren had reserved one of the small conference rooms for their make-out—erm— rehearsal session.

_"Being able to kiss someone on cue without being flustered is something every actor must achieve._

_"How many shows have you seen, Mogami-san, in which no kissing occurred? Ever?"_

Kyoko did not watch a lot of TV or movies, but even she knew that Tsuruga-san was right.

Kyoko jumped at the sound of the door opening. She rose to her feet and bowed to her sempai. Her heart leapt into her throat as his Italian shoes came closer.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mogami-san."

# # # * ~* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * # # #

Yashiro stood by the coffee machine, waiting for the cup to fill with hot water. He was a tea man and today he was going to be drinking Earl Grey.

His happy anticipation was interrupted when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bright pink blur.

_Kyoko-chan? No . . . she's with Ren-san._

Yashiro picked up his tea and turned.

It wasn't Kyoko, but a classic Japanese beauty in the LoveMe uniform.

_I've seen her somewhere before . . . with Kyoko . . . Ah! Her commercial co-star and . . . friend, I believe . . . yes. Yes. That's it! Her name escapes me, though . . ._

All of a sudden her amber eyes met his.

She was glaring at him!

_What did I do?_

Next thing Yashiro knew, the woman had made an angry beeline for him.

Despite her dark gaze Yashiro observed with quickening pulse that she was even more stunning up close.

"You're Tsuruga-san's manager, aren't you?"

"Y-yes. Yes, I am. What may I do for you?"

"Where's Kyoko?"

"M-Mogami-san is with Ren-san. They're having a private rehearsal."

Moko snorted. "Yeah, I bet they are . . ."

"I beg your pardon?"

Moko frowned and bit her lip.

"Are you alright, Miss . . .?"

"Kotonami," she said absently.

"Kotonami-san."

"Is Tsuruga Ren really the "perfect gentleman" everyone says he is?"

"Wh-why yes. Yes! He would never take advantage of Mogami-san!"

_At least, I don't think so . . ._

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Ren-san would never hurt Kyoko. He loves —" Yashiro slapped a hand over his mouth. He glanced around. No one heard him . . . except for Miss Kotonami . . .

A grin slid across the beautiful woman's face.

"I knew it . . ."

Yashiro grabbed Moko's hand and pulled her into an empty dressing room.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Yashiro turned to her with a sigh. " Tsuruga-san hasn't told anybody. Not even me. But, _I _can tell. I think anyone who bothers to really observe him can see that he's hopelessly in love with her! The further he falls, the more that mask of his slips."

Moko blinked at him. "How poetic," she remarked dryly.

Yashiro blushed and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

_I wasn't complimenting him!_

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * # # # # # # # # # #

"'You know, there's nothing more attractive than a man on the run . . .'" Kyoko

purred, attempting to sway her small hips as she made her way towards Ren. The gorgeous man was observing her as B.J. when he suddenly broke character.

"I'm sorry, Mogami-san, but that was about as seductive as a tree."

"I'm sorry . . . it's just . . . this is really out of my comfort zone . . ."

Ren rose from the chair he had been reclining in and stood in front of the girl he loved.

"I know." he said gently, "but, stepping out of your comfort zone is what you have been doing all along. Haven't you? You can do it again."

Kyoko gave a tired nod.

"Yes, sempai."

Ren gingerly tilted Kyoko's chin up so she was looking at him.

"I believe you will rise to the occasion, Mogami-san, when the time comes. I have never seen someone meet success so quickly in this business as you have. After this I'm sure more of those parts you want will come your way. Noble ladies and princesses are always in love."

Kyoko gave him a 100-watt smile. Girllish hope flooded her irises. Ren wanted to close his eyes to it, but knew he could not.

_Oh, Lord . . . _

Ren took a deep breath and re-collected his thoughts. "Why don't we try again?"

Kyoko nodded, confidence coming off her like an aura.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

"Alright, Mogami-san, just walk a little slower."

Kyoko found a rhythm to sway her hips to as she stalked towards him.

Sweat was forming on Ren's forehead.

_Hang in there, Tsuruga Ren . . ._

Suddenly, a thought hit Ren's brain. The world came screeching to a halt.

Why had it not occurred to him before? This role . . . this scene . . . it was his one chance to not hold back. In under the veil of B.J. he could let the mask fall and embrace Kyoko with all the love he had . . .

Kyoko braced both hands on the back of Ren's chair, leaning low over him.

Ren felt her breath brush his face. He gripped the seat of his chair with one hand and had the other draped casually over his crossed legs.

"'It was revenge . . .that man killed my friend in cold blood,'" said B.J.

"'I know,'" answered Yoshiki.

Ren began to close his eyes.

_Kyoko . . ._

"Um . . . Uh . . . what do I do now?"

" You kiss me."

"Could—couldn't you just kiss me instead?"

_You have no idea . . ._

"I don't think that would be true to the character at this point."

"But, wouldn't it seem more like the seduction was successful if B.J. kissed Yoshiki first?"

"I suppose . . ." Ren, to mask his nerves, rose from the chair. "You know what? Let's forget about blocking the scene right now. The director is going to do that anyway. Why don't we just concentrate on the first big hurdle: the kiss—well—kisses. There's probably going to be a lot of them."

Kyoko paled and looked like she was about to bolt from the room at the words "a lot of them."

Ren growled in frustration.

_I want her to succeed but we're not going to get anywhere at this rate!_

Kyoko gasped in despair when she saw his irritation.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san! You've been more than patient with me! If I were you, I would've given up on myself days ago! I'm so sorry I'm such a pain! Please forgive me-e-e-e-e!" Kyoko's voice began to break into sobs.

"Mogami-san . . ."

"Maybe—maybe this role is too much for me just now. Perhaps I should just tell the director I can't—"

"How could I have even contemplated doing such a role when I've lost the ability to love?" Kyoko thought to herself

"I'm disappointed in you, Mogami-san."

Kyoko's head shot up. Now she was really in the depths of despair!

_I've disappointed Tsuruga-san!_

Ren was feeling genuinely angry. She had come so far and was just going to give up? He also felt hurt. Was the thought of kissing him that repugnant to her?

"You told me you were serious about acting. You were out to create a "new" Mogami Kyoko. If you are going to be defeated by a mere love scene then pack up and go home!" Ren marched towards the door and was about to fling it open when he felt Kyoko's fighting aura flare up behind him. He gave a little grin.

_That's more like it._

"B.J.!"

When he turned around to face her he was B.J.

In three long strides Kyoko was toe-to-toe with him. She reached up and grabbed Ren by his dress shirt lapels.

"I'm not done with you yet." she whispered before smashing her lips against his.


	6. No Improvisation, Please!

A/N: Hello, folks! Sorry it took so long, I've been busy and having a bit of writer's block.

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Yes. Compared with the women he had been with before—on and off screen— it was probably the worst kiss Ren had ever received. But, right now, he could really care less. The lips touching his were Kyoko's, the only woman he ever loved. That made it perfect.

Ren sighed and wrapped his arms around Kyoko's small frame.

_At last . . ._

Kyoko felt Ren tremble against her. She was about draw away to see if he was all right when he moved back.

Kyoko opened her mouth to say something when Ren's mouth swiftly descended on hers again.

A shiver coursed through Kyoko that originated in her toes and traveled up her trembling legs to shake her heart. A wave of dizziness and heat lapped up against her as Ren gently nipped her lower lip.

_Ren . . ._

Ren drew away again. This time Kyoko felt a little disappointed. She surprised herself when she realized she had not wanted him to stop. That surprise melted into shock as Ren moved from her lips to trail down her cheek and finally to rest on her bare neck. She heard herself gasp.

Kyoko's gasp seemed to bring Ren back to his senses and he swiftly pulled away, holding her at arms length. Kyoko thought she saw fear on his face, but it must have been her imagination because it was gone in the next second.

"And that, Mogami-san, is a kiss," Ren said, albeit a little breathlessly.

"Thank you," Kyoko gulped, "Tsuruga-sempai."

_Sempai._

"Tsuruga-san, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Ren internally jolted. The mask must have slipped for a moment, revealing his disappointment.

Up came the default smile.

"Just fine, Mogami-san. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because that's your fake smile, Tsuruga-san."

Ren only smiled wider, sending a cold stab of dread through his _kohai_.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Mogami-san. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to go to. See you at rehearsal tomorrow?"

Kyoko nodded, but kept looking up worriedly at him. Ren ignored her puppy dog eyes as best he could and almost dashed from the room.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Kotonami Kanae, whilst sitting in the company cafeteria, glanced up at the bespectacled man who was sitting not too far from her. Ren was apparently taking a nap and his manager was apparently taking a lunch break. He was eating out of a pre-made bento box and reading a thick book.

Suddenly, Yashiro put down the tome and took off his glasses to wipe them off. Moko breathed sharply. Gray eyes. Not something you see everyday in Japan. She had never noticed it before. And why should she have? When she first met him all her concerns were focused on Kyoko, she did not care what color eyes Tsuruga Ren's manager had.

As if he sensed her gaze on him, Yashiro looked up at her . . . and recognized her.

Despite her slight embarrassment at being caught she wondered if his glasses were just for show then.

Yashiro seemed to catch himself and quickly replaced his glasses with a blush.

_Cute . . ._

# # # # # # # # #

"Alright, Ren-kun," the director began, "I want you to deliver that line on the sofa."

"Okay."

"Now, Kyoko . . ."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you to deliver your line while sitting on his lap."

". . ." said Kyoko.

" . . ." said Ren.

"Is there a _problem_?" The director asked cocking a disapproving eyebrow.

Ren's throat tightened. He would not lose this part to his feelings. But, would Kyoko?

Ren met her eyes and saw them waver for a moment. He mouthed her name in a question: "Can you do this?" His heart surged when his query was answered by her familiar, firm resolve.

"No. No problem, Mr. Director."

"Alright then. Ready? Aaand . . . ACTION!"

_B.J. buries his face in his hands._

_"It was revenge . . .that man killed my friend in cold blood . . . my best friend . . . since we were kids." B.J. gives a shuddering sob._

_"I know," Yoshiki whispers, crossing over to B.J. and sitting down on his lap, she puts her arms around him._

_"What are you doing?" B.J. growls._

_"Just loving you."_

_B.J. tilts his face up to her. Yoshiki kisses his head then . . ._

Kyoko paused for a moment, looking into Ren's eyes before taking the plunge.

Ren was almost startled out of character by the fierceness of Kyoko's kiss. She was Yoshiki now.

_Brava, Kyoko._

Ren pressed back, answering with B.J, tangling his hands in her hair and caressing her back.

Kyoko lost track where Yoshiki ended and she had begun, but through Yoshiki, she took more initiative then she would have as herself . . . and it drove Ren crazy. He planted kisses along her jaw, down to her neck. Kyoko gasped and worked her fingers into his dark hair, bringing his head closer into the curve of her throat.

The director took off his glasses to wipe off the steam. These kids were good. If did not know better, he could have sworn that something else was going on here . . .

Ren kissed Kyoko's lips again, passion flooding his brain, and before he could stop himself . . .

"I love you," he breathed against her mouth.

"_CUT_! _CUT_!"


	7. Tomato Red

A/N: I'm so glad everyone was so pleased with the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Thank you for all the wonderfully fantastic reviews!

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"CUT!" the director exclaimed. "Cut, cut! Wrong scene, Ren-kun, B.J. doesn't confess until episode eleven."

Ren eased back from Kyoko.

"Ah . . . right, I'm sorry, I got the scenes mixed up . . . the two are so similar . . ." Ren did his best to appear sheepish.

The director gave an understanding grin.

"Yeah. I know. But, what can you do? I would set that scene in a different setting than the writer indicated, but the producers insisted . . ."

Ren nodded. It was then he took the opportunity to glance at Kyoko who was now sitting next to him. Her face was in her hands, but Ren could see that her ears were tomato red.

"Mogami-san . . . are you alright? Might I get you something? A drink of water?"

"No. No . . . thank you, Tsuruga-san."

Ren ventured to lay his hand gently on her shoulder. His heart sank when he felt her flinch.

"Mogami-san?"

Kyoko finally lifted her head to reveal the blush that was beginning to fade from her warm cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san. I'm okay. It's just— I think I forget sometimes what a truly great actor you are and . . . that unexpected line . . . startled me, that's all. You delivered it so well I almost believed you."

_It was the truth . . . and it frightened you . . ._

It was like the time he almost made a move on her in his trailer and she had frozen up with fear or the time he had caught her when she fell in his kitchen . . .

"Okay, everyone, that's all for today."

Kyoko looked up at the director. "Aren't we going to do another take?"

"No, the take was good. We can easily edit out the slip-up."

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Kyoko couldn't shake the sound of Ren's voice repeating the wrong line in her head, over and over.

Each time she thought of it, she re-lived it and all its feelings, causing her to blush at seemingly random times. She lost count of how many people asked if she was coming down with something. Mr. Sawara even offered to fetch her a thermometer. Why was it affecting her so much? Why did everything about Mr. Tsuruga matter so much? Especially regarding her.

Kyoko stumbled into her Bo costume. Today she was a doctor. She inspected her red complexion in the speculum of the endoscope on Bo's head.

"Lucky thing I'll have this on . . ."

Kyoko sighed and put on the final piece of her costume. She had no sooner done this when a familiar voice sent a jolt through her heart.

"Bo!"

Kyoko forced herself to turn around to see Ren quickly striding toward her with his long legs. She gulped. The sensations of him came back and hit her like a freight train.

"H-hey, there, friend . . ." she somehow managed.

"Bo, I need your advice!"

"H-ho, ho, you've come to the right rooster." She gestured to her endoscope. "The doctor is in."

Kyoko pushed to crates together and gestured for him to lie down. Ren did not miss a beat and stretched out over the boxes.

Kyoko found herself staring at how his muscles worked as he acclimated his body to the makeshift therapy couch. What would it be like for this man to love her . . . in real life?

"S-s-so, what's wrong?"

Ren heaved a great sigh.

"I lost control today . . . I told her . . . sort of . . ."

"The high school girl you're in love with?" Kyoko felt an odd yet familiar jab.

_Jealousy?_

"Yes."

"What happened exactly?" Kyoko whipped out a notepad and pen from cartoon space.

"Well, I kissed her for one thing . . ."

_Stab #2!_

"Then, on the set today I confessed to her."

"On the set . . . you work with this girl?"

"Yeah . . ."

Kyoko's mind began to go through the teenage girls that worked at LME.

_On set today . . . wait a minute . . ._

Ren gave a small chuckle. "It's such a funny thing, fate. I haven't told anyone this but . . . when I was thirteen I was on vacation in Kyoto with my parents. I got lost and met this nine-year old girl crying in the woods . . ."

_Waitaminutewaitaminute . . ._

"For some reason, it was really important to me that she cheer up. So, I did some acrobatics for her. I felt so sorry for her that I gave her a blue crystal. I had purchased it from the gift shop of a cavern tour in America." Ren laughed again. "She was so impressed with my stunts and the stone, not to mention my . . ." Ren made a vague gesture towards his head. "That she declared me to be a fairy prince . . ."

_WAIT A MINUTE!_

Ren covered his face with his hands. "She's my kohai now, no matter what I do or how I feel . . . I just can't let myself. . ."

_Wait_ . . .

"Love her . . ."

Ren gave a deep sigh. It felt good to finally get all that off his chest. He thought about telling the whole story to the president someday or Yashiro. Yet, here he had spilled his guts to a chicken . . . who had yet to respond.

"Bo?"

THUD!

Ren turned to find that his feathered friend had fallen over and now lay sprawled out on the pavement.

"Bo!"

When no response came Ren began to be concerned. "Hey!"

_Did he faint? My story wasn't that riveting . . . I should probably take his headpiece off to give him some air . . ._

Ren placed both hands on either side of the chicken's head and gave it a good yank. In the next moment it tumbled from numb fingers as he stared at the person who had been such a willing ear.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # #

MWHAHAHAHA!


	8. Bad Dream

A/N: Hey, hey! Sorry for the long wait. This was a really tough chapter to write, character-wise. How I would have them act and react and such . . . whew. Next chapter will be a little less hard, I think. If it seems a bit disjointed, I apologize. I will try to fix it . . . later. I just really wanted to get this out there!

# # # # # # # # #

Bad Dream

# # # # #

"K-Kyoko . . .?" Ren choked. That was all he could really get out. His mind was awhirl. He almost felt like fainting himself.

_I . . . she . . . _

Ren's legs gave out from under his and he ended up sitting down next to the prone Kyoko. Anger was his first feeling, but then an odd sense of relief swept over him.

_Good God, she knows . . . everything . . . well—almost everything. _

Maybe he should leave. If he did perhaps she would wake up thinking it was just a dream . . . All just a bad dream . . .

Would it be a bad dream to her? No. He wouldn't let it be.

_No._

It was time to stop running.

# # # # # # # # #

_Kyoko found herself running through a familiar glen. A flash of gold made her head turn. _

"_Corn!"_

_But the Corn before her was a man. A man with beautiful gossamer wings. _

"_Corn! You've grown! You're not gone from this world! Just like Tsuruga-san said!" She threw herself into the fairy's open arms. "I thought I'd never see you again, Corn!"_

"_I'm here now, Kyoko-chan. I've been here for some time . . . right by your side."_

_Kyoko gazed up into the face of her beloved fairy prince and saw Ren staring back at her._

"_Corn?"_

_Ren leaned down toward her, his golden hair fluttering in the breeze._

"_It's me, Kyoko."_

_His lips were about to touch hers when . . ._

Kyoko's eyes snapped open. She found herself in the passenger seat of a parked car.

_Whose car?_

Kyoko turned her head to see Ren in the driver's seat. He was apparently napping. Distracted from her situation, Kyoko watched the gentle rise and fall of Ren's chest as he slept. Her gaze traveled up to the unbuttoned collar of his dress shirt, to the peaceful face of a sleeping Ren.

"_It's me . . ."_

The events of that afternoon came flooding back to her.

This man is . . . was . . . Corn . . .

Kyoko smirked as she reached into her memory all those times she discussed Corn and the stone of the same name with Ren. How he must have felt and there she was, just prattling on in her own little world. Of course he had been sure Corn was still in this world; that he grew . . .

I bet he had a good laugh about it in his dressing room.

Kyoko's cheeks burned with embarrassment.

But, wait—wasn't there something else he had said . . . something even more important?

Kyoko shook her head in an effort to clear it, but it was no use. She still could not remember.

She had to get away.

As silently as possible, Kyoko crept out of the car. That was when she finally took a good look around.

_The Koishikawa-Korakuen_ _gardens!_

He had taken her to the location of the final scene in the drama and their final day of shooting. The director had decided to shoot it in chronological order.

Kyoko made her way to a large flat stone by the lake and sat down. She knew she really shouldn't be out there. It was night and who knew what kind of creeps were lurking around in the forest.

As if on cue, she heard grassy footsteps come up behind her. She tensed and spun around to see Ren's tall figure coming down the slight slope. It was not Ren's usual confident movements. It was almost clumsy, like a normal person.

He eased himself down onto the grass beside her. He was silent for a moment then,

"I'm sorry, Mogami-san."

"Oh, it's alright, Tsuruga-san." Kyoko replied, a hint of bitterness in her tone. "I really feel like an idiot, but that's nothing new, so, it's alright. I'm sure you got a good laugh out of it all."

"No, I did not!" Ren said, so vehemently that Kyoko jumped. "You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you, how I almost told you . . ."

"Almost," Kyoko said wryly.

"I can be a coward, Mogami-san, despite this confident façade I call Tsuruga Ren."

"That isn't your real name?"

"No. And neither is Corn." Ren paused, as if reluctant to go on. But, Kyoko was staring at him expectantly. Ren sighed then took a deep breath.

" My name is Hizuri Kuon . . ."


	9. At Home

A/N: Sorry this took forever! More writer's block! But, I think I got it now!

# # # # # # # # # # # # # #

Kyoko sat quietly, listening to the personal narrative that came pouring out of the complex man known as Tsuruga Ren.

He had been a burdened child. The weight of being the son of the famous Kuu and Julia Hizuri, . . . his personal identity being forever melded with theirs . . . the expectations drove him to rebellion. All the private schools and finest tutoring in the US could not save him. In fact, it made it worse. Being the pretty son of celebrities did not exactly make you a favorite among the boys. An odd name such as "Kuon" did not help either. Kuon had to fight to survive and fight he did, so hard in fact that he sent one particularly nasty boy into a coma for a month. The Hizuri's money kept him out of jail, but not out of further trouble.

A trip to the motherland seemed in order. Maybe the reserved ways of the Japanese would rub off on their troubled son.

Ren paused and smiled at Kyoko. She blushed under the warmth of his gaze, but did not, could not, look away.

". . . And that's when I met you . . . You . . . with your bright smile and spirit.

"I was so obviously foreign. You didn't know me, but without batting an eye you made me your friend. I had never met anyone so sincerely sweet or, especially, so _selfless_. You were so young, but your best qualities were already there."

Embarrassment from such praise reddened Kyoko's face even further. Her whisper was almost a whimper.

"Please—"

"—I don't know if you heard me before but . . ."

"Tsuruga-san—"

"I love you, Kyoko."

Kyoko sucked in a sharp breath. That's right. He had revealed that to Bo while in the back lots before the "big discovery." She had all but forgotten. Kyoko sniffed as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Thank you . . . Tsuruga-san."

Ren smiled and cupping her cheek in his hand, he wiped away the tears with his thumb.

Kyoko surprised herself and Ren by, almost reflexively, leaning into his touch.

Ren drew her into a hug, to which she made no protest. He rocked her gently as she quietly sobbed. With another little sniffle, Kyoko burrowed her face into his shoulder . . . and for the first time in a long time, she felt at home.


	10. Does Not Run Smoothly

A/N: Some word of explanation for the length of the last chapter first: It was going to be longer, but since most of my inspiration comes to me late at night, I was nodding off near the end there and I really wanted to get the new chapter out. So, I ended it there. Forgive me? ;) Did any of you lovely readers catch the Skip Beat manga Christmas special? It's raw, but still HILARIOUS! Type in "Skip Beat Christmas Special" in your search engine and click on the Franky House link to get to another link to download it.

# # # # # # # # #

Kyoko sat there, snugly enveloped in Ren's arms, quietly listening to the hammering heart beating against her cheek. Warmth bubbled up inside her.

No one had ever told her they loved her. No one.

Her mind went back to their first meeting—their _real_ first meeting—and played through all they had been through together. Ren had always been there for her when she needed someone the most. He was always so kind, even if he had that childish streak that no one else, to her knowledge, detected behind his gentlemanly mask. Seeing his faults and flaws made him more endearing and the new knowledge of how long she had really known him, more still.

Even so, did her feelings for Ren go beyond friendship? Did she love him back? What was love, really? All she really knew was that it felt so _natural_ to be in Ren's arms, as if she had always belonged there.

Kyoko was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle kiss being planted on the crown of her head.

"Asleep?" Ren asked.

"No." Kyoko raised her head up to look at Ren.

Bad idea.

The moonlight reflected by the pond shone in his eyes and made his skin glow, giving him that fairy-like aura.

"Corn . . . you really did fly, after all . . ." She murmured, a small, nostalgic smile appearing on her lips.

Ren's mouth split into a wide grin, crinkling his eyes.

"I told you so."

"KYA!" went her little angels, while her demons were reduced to dust. Kyoko's heart skittered.

Ren brushed a stray strand of hair out of Kyoko's eyes. He let his fingers trail down her jaw. He gently nudged her chin up, stroking her bottom lip with his thumb.

Kyoko's head tingled as her body suffused with warmth. A slight dizziness came over her. It was all too overwhelming. She had done a lot in the past few days, experiencing and doing things she would never have dreamed of. And on top of that the whole truth about Tsuruga Ren's real identity . . .and love . . .

Suddenly, Ren removed his hand from her face and, grasping her shoulders, held her out at arms length.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan. In reality I really am a selfish man. I've been acting without knowing your feelings. You know mine now, but what about yours? Do you think you could . . . love me, too?" The bursting question ended in such a small voice that it caught Kyoko even further off guard.

"I . . . I don't . . . know."

Ren's defense mechanism reflexively snapped into place, his default smile making an appearance.

"Don't worry about it, Mogami-san."

Kyoko's demons began to rise from the ashes, thanks to the melancholy aura that was seeping from Ren.

It almost broke Kyoko's heart. "It's just—it's all so overwhelming, finding out about everything in one day . . ."

The melancholy subsided. Ren now understood.

"Of course! Of course you're overwhelmed, anyone would be. You need time . . ."

Kyoko nodded feeling relieved.

"Well," Ren said, glancing at his watch, "it's getting late, I'd better get you home. We have the final shoot tomorrow."

They rode in the car in an uncomfortable silence, despite seemingly coming to an understanding. Ren once again had to hold back his feelings, but this time Kyoko was well aware of the restraint. The only words spoken were the directions to the Darumaya.

Ren stopped the car in front of the restaurant.

"So, this is where you live . . ."

"Yes."

"Now I know." Ren said in a sinister tone.

Kyoko whirled around.

"Mwahaha!" Ren teased.

Kyoko burst out laughing. This evening was probably the longest length of time she had seen him being himself.

She loved that childish side of him . . .

Kyoko reddened and got out of the car quite quickly. She had enough guts to go around to the driver's side and say some parting words to Tsuruga

"See you tomorrow, Tsuruga-san," she said, absently put her hand on the edge of the rolled down window.

"Good night, Mogami-san." Ren reflexively enveloped her hand with his. But, then pulled it back once he realized what he had done.

Kyoko felt a pang of regret. She fought back the urge to grab the retreating limb. Instead, giving a small awkward bow, she retreated into the Darumaya.

From the small window in her room she could see the street. Ren was still parked. She could just make out his figure bent over the dashboard, his head leaning on the steering wheel. Her arms ached to hold him, to comfort him. Finally, Ren drove off and Kyoko left the window.

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

Mwhahaha! I know what I want to write next, so chapter eleven shouldn't be too long in coming.


	11. And Always Will

A/N: Hey, took a little longer because I felt compelled to write a "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" one shot. Thank you sooooooooooo much for all the wonderful, kind, warm reviews! They are my fuel! I did things a little differently this time, expressing their acting out of drama scenes in script excerpts.

# # # # # # # # # #

Kyoko slipped in and out of sleep that night. Each time she closed her eyes she saw Ren's face. For what seemed the thousandth time, she thought back to their first meeting all the way to the present.

"It's still so hard to take in," she mumbled before drifting back into half-sleep.

Before Kyoko knew it, morning had come and she was back at the _Koishikawa-Korakuen _Gardens. She absently watched the effects crew from the pavilion as they set up the rain machines. Suddenly, the director's voice cut into her daze.

"Ok, people, this is the final scene! Let's do this thing! PLACES! . . . CUE THE RAIN!"

Kyoko sucked in a sharp breath and felt her heart pound as she saw Ren arrive at his mark, just off camera.

"Aaaaand . . ."

Kyoko shut her eyes .

"ACTION!"

Yoshiki opened them.

Ren strode towards the pavilion. Kyoko, visibly calm, observed how the floodgates of special effects weighed on his hair and soaked through his shirt.

**B.J.: You came.**

**Yoshiki: I'm not the standing up type.**

**B.J.: (Smiling) Yes. I know.**

**(Yoshiki begins to cry).**

**Yoshiki: I'm so sorry, B.J. I have to . . .**

**(B.J. crosses the pavilion to Yoshiki)**

**B.J.: It's okay. **

**(Yoshiki holds B.J.'s hands and kisses him).**

Kyoko wavered a bit. The heat of Ren's anxious gaze was making her feel light-headed. She could see it was taking all that he was to stick to the script and not gather her in his arms right now. Kyoko shakily got on the tips of her toes and followed the script. Ren mouth slanted on hers, deepening the kiss. She found herself enjoying it quite a lot, when she suddenly remembered she had a job to do.

**(While still kissing, Yoshiki slaps handcuffs on B.J.) .**

**SFX: The click of handcuffs.**

**(They part).**

"Now you hear the sound of policemen approaching," the director shouted.

Ren snapped his gaze to his right, the direction the policemen were supposed to be coming from.

**B.J.: This heart is yours now . . . and always will be.**

The ten extras playing police officers grabbed Ren and dragged him away.

**Yoshiki: You had mine from the start . . .**

**(Fade to black)**

"CUT! PRINT! It's a wrap, people!"

The cast and crew erupted into cheers and bows all around. Kyoko practically bounced over to the director.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me!" She cried, bowing many times.

"No, no. Thank _you_, Kyoko-chan. You really lived up to the laud of President Takrada. Your performance exceeded my expectations entirely!"

Kyoko blushed, feeling embarrassed under such overwhelming praise. The director shifted his gaze beyond Kyoko.

"And _you_, Ren . . . you were brilliant! Your versatility is astounding!"

Kyoko had felt his presence behind her before the director had even said his name.

"And by the way, the crew and I both agreed that those were some of the best love scenes we've ever filmed. The sincerity of both of your performances . . . Seriously, I almost believed you two had a real thing going on . . ."

"Thank you, director," came Ren's deep voice so close to her. She felt her face grow hotter.

"Now, just between us . . . are you two really. . . ?"

"No," came Ren's immediate reply. Then he slapped on a sparkly smile and chuckled. "We're just that good."

The director laughed. "Alright. But, say, Ren-kun, you had better get yourself dried off before you a catch cold!"

"Ah . . . Yes."

Instead of Ren, it was Kyoko that was shivering. She could hear by the overly polite tone of his voice and inflection that he was using his fake smile. The director moved on to talk to the rest of the cast and crew. Kyoko's back felt cold. Ren had left. She turned around to see him already halfway to his trailer.

Kyoko grabbed one of the towels that had been set out and walked after him. He had already stepped in the trailer when Kyoko reached it.

"Tsuruga-sempai?"

_Sempai._

He _really_ hated that word.

Kyoko entered, closing the door behind her. Ren was sitting on the couch, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His head was bowed causing his wet hair to drip on his already soaked jeans. Kyoko timidly moved over to the couch in baby steps; inching forward until she was standing in front of him.

Then, without a word, she began to dry his hair with the towel. She heard Ren release a long breath and saw his shoulders relax. Kyoko was filled with a rush of tenderness.

_Corn._

_Tsuruga Ren._

_Hizuri Kuon._

Warm, intelligent, caring and ridiculously handsome. Though not without fault, it made him all the more endearing, (dare she say, cute?). This man who had always looked out for her when she was a child, found her again and continued to look after her, take care of her . . . love her . . .

Kyoko still had trouble getting over that fact as well. That such a man, whom she had held in awe, from "Fairy Prince Corn" to "Tsuruga Ren", would be in love with her of all women!

Did she love him? Could she love him?

Kyoko never really lost the capacity to love. She had just been afraid. Afraid to reach out to anyone, to fall in love for fear her heart would be thrown away again.

Had Kyoko lost the capacity to love? No. She did love. She finally realized with startling clarity that her heart was all Ren's and had been for some time, she just had been too scared to acknowledge it.

"Ren . . . 'this heart is yours now and always will be,'" Kyoko said quietly.

Ren's body was still for a moment then he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.

"'You had mine from the start,'" Ren murmured against her stomach. Kyoko bent down and cradled her dear friend's head in her arms. Tears of happiness began to trickle down her face.

Ren leaned back and eased Kyoko into his lap. He then graced her lips with a sensuous kiss. When they parted for air, Kyoko gazed upon Ren, her heart warming with joy at the sight of the warm, familiar smile that had always been for her only.


	12. Epilogue

"_It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue; _

_But it is no more unhandsome than to see the lord the prologue. _

_If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true that a good play needs no epilogue. Yet to good wine they do use good bushes; _

_And good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a case am I in, then, that am neither a good epilogue nor cannot insinuate with you in the behalf of a good play!"_

_As You Like It: Act V, scene vi_

(A/N: Teehee! I love Shakespeare)!

(A/N: Ren's real name would be on the marriage certificate. But, I imagine that with a celebrity wedding being more of a publicized affair, they would probably use his stage name).

Finale

~_~_~_~_~~_~_~_

In the backyard of a Las Angeles villa, Ren's boyhood home . . .

"I am proud to present Mr. and Mrs. Ren Tsuruga!"

Cheers shook the reception tent as Ren and Kyoko stepped in. It had been a lovely, albeit, large wedding, thanks to Kuu and President Takarada. Both Ren and Kyoko had really wanted something small and quiet. But for the sake of the father and the boss they allowed a fuss to be made.

The owner of the Daruma-ya had walked Kyoko down the aisle, in place of her father, who was dead. Saena, her mother did show up and she could not have been happier. Her daughter was now, after all, the wife of the most popular and rich celebrity in Japan. Although the reasons were more material than maternal, Kyoko accepted that much with thanksgiving. Hizuri Kuu was, of course, the complete opposite. He finally saw his son wed and gained the daughter he always wanted. Kyoko could officially call him "father" now, which was second happiest moment of her life. Kyoko also had more of a mother in Julia then she ever found in her actual mother.

"Welcome to the family, Mrs. Hizuri," she said to her new daughter, quietly in her ear.

"Arigatou . . . Mom."

Soon the time had come for the bouquet toss.

"_Iich . . . nii . . . SAN_!"

A frenzy commenced among the single women as the flowers sailed over their heads. Kanae just stood a foot away. She came to the dance floor to let any prospective gentlemen know that she was indeed single, but she was not going to make a spectacle of herself over a spray of flora. Nevertheless, the cursed thing somehow managed to land itself in the crook of her folded arms.

"YOU GOT IT, MOKO!" Kanae looked up to see Kyoko launching herself at her, stars practically spilling from her eyes. "You'll be a bride next!"

Kanae snorted "It's just a stupid superstition." She was about to throw the bouquet away from her when she spotted the losers glaring at her over Kyoko's shoulder. She smirked and waved it at them. "Losers," she mouthed.

"Now, hang on to that, Moko," Kyoko continued. "You'll meet your true love," She then blushed. "Once Ren tosses the garter belt."

Kyoko thought she would explode as she felt Ren's hand slide up her leg to her thigh and then slowly drag the garter back over her foot. He had kept eye contact with her the whole time. She was glad her did not shove his head under her dress like she had seen some men do at other weddings, to their brides. At the same time, it was his intense eye contact that made her heart and other places catch fire. She could read him like a book and what he was saying made her dizzy.

_"I can't wait 'til we're alone."_

Ren took her hand and raised her up from the chair. He planted a warm kiss on it and gave her one more fervent look before facing the guests. He raised his hand with the garter and the single men's eyes gleamed. Some of them did indeed howl. They slowly began to crowd behind Ren like a pack of hungry hyenas.

Kanae gulped and could have sworn she saw someone drooling.

_Kyoko, I'm going to get you for this!_

Yashiro stood with the single men, but in contrast, he was cool as a cucumber- on the outside, anyway. On the inside he was chomping on the bit with the rest of them.

"One . . . two . . . THREE!" The garter went flying from Ren's fingers and with the skill of a basketball star, Yashiro jumped for it. He caught it in mid-air.

"I got it . . ." He stared disbelievingly at the silk and elastic frippery in his fist. Then a shadow darkened his head and other the men were about to sail into him

Yashiro had plenty of training from his grade-school days. His lithe figure and glasses had awarded him plenty of bullies. He deftly dodged the wall of testosterone at the last minute and watched them slide across the dance floor and into the wall, as one.

Ren cleared his throat. "Now, if you please, will the man who caught the garter place it on the woman who caught the bouquet?"

Yashiro blushed hotly and Kanae avoided his glance.

"Oh, good grief. Do I have to?" Kanae muttered to Kyoko who came to coax her to the chair ready on the dance floor.

"Come on, Moko!" Kyoko hissed excitedly.

"No. I'm not going to make a spectacle of myself."

"Pleeeaaasseee?" She pulled the puppy eyes.

"No."

Kyoko pulled out her secret weapon. "Come on! For meeee, . . . On my wedding day."

"Damn." Kanae slowly rose from her seat.

"Yay!" cried Kyoko. The rest of the guests followed her cheer.

Kanae whipped around. "But, one condition: don't play that stupid "Dirty Dancing" music or whatever it is, okay?"

Kyoko gave her a thumbs-up. "Gotcha!"

So, the tradition went on-without the provocative music- but, with the provocative wolf calls and whistles. Those could not be stopped.

Yashiro knelt before her, his cool demeanor dropping fast.

"I a-apologize in advance for touching you in . . . places . . ."

"Mo! Just get it over with!" In her haste and embarrassment, Kanae thrust her leg out, almost kicking Yashiro in the face—missing his teeth by mere inches.

The poor manager gulped. Then ran a shaking hand through his fair hair. He glasses were beginning to steam up. Kanae held back a barely repressed chuckle. Yashiro whipped the offending spectacles off and tucked them into his tux collar.

Kanae's heart leapt into her throat. What a difference an absence of glasses made. It was a good thing he was not in the limelight of show business or Tsuruga Ren might have had a rival in the looks department.

Kanae's voice squeaked in her suddenly dry throat. "Won't you need your glasses?"

"No. I'm fine—" Yashiro's voice dropped a pitch at his next words. "I'll feel my way."

_Oh . . ._

His eyes brightened with concentration as he slid the garter past her ankle and up her calf.

_. . . dear._

Chills raced up and down her spine as the pads of his fingers brushed the back of her knee. She tried to look somewhere else, to fix her eyes on something to take her mind away from how thrilling it felt. The crowd? No. The ceiling? No, it would make her look enraptured. Kanae decided to stare at her hands, in her lap. She could see Yashiro's head out of the corner of her eye. She squeezed fistfuls of her skirt when Yashiro's fingers fumbled, sending the garter back to her calf.

"Hurry up!" she hissed.

"I'm trying." Yashiro's voice sounded hoarse. Good. It satisfied her to see that he was at least squirming, too.

Finally, the garter reached its destination at mid-thigh. Kanae was about to give a sigh of relief when she sucked in that breath. When Yashiro let go he let his fingers trail down the length of her leg before exiting her dress. Kanae gave him a startled glance. There was a mischievous tilt to his mouth.

_Well, well . . . I found another new side to Mr. Yashiro . . . I wouldn't mind exploring it further . . ._

"Aaaand now . . . Mr. and Mrs. Ren Tsuruga's first dance as a married couple!"

Ren gracefully spun Kyoko around on the dance floor. She nestled in his warm embrace. Ren would have opted to stop and just cuddle her if he could. But, he knew Kyoko felt like Cinderella at the moment, in her beautiful wedding gown, in the arms of her prince. Ren bent down and stole a kiss. Kyoko gave a happy little sigh and rested her head on his chest as they waltzed.

"Now, the winners of the garter and the bouquet will join the bride and groom on the dance floor."

"What?" Kanae seethed. "These stupid Western traditions are way to personal," she said to Yashiro who had, by now, approached her.

"I agree. Shall we dance?"

Kanae let him take her to the dance floor. After a few minutes, she concluded that he was quite the dancer.

"Ow!"

Too bad she was not.

"Sorry."

Yashiro smiled through the pain. "You're doing fine, Kotonami-san."

Kanae smiled at his sweet effort to make her feel comfortable. Yashiro's heart skipped a beat.

"Thanks, Yashiro-san."

"Um . . . Kotonami-san . . . after work tomorrow . . . would you like to—?"

"8:00."

Yashiro blinked. "How did you . . .?"

Kanae flashed him an almost seductive smile. "And don't be late."

The End!

(A/N: Whew! Man, it's hard to write an, as yet hopefully, non-existent pairing)!


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